Idris Elba To Star In Film About Philadelphia’s Black Cowboys

Throughout his entire career London-born actor Idris Elba has used his craft as an avenue to bring narratives about Black pioneers to the big screen. Six years after playing the role of South African revolutionary Nelson Mandela in the film Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, Elba will now star in a movie about the unsung stories of Philadelphia’s Black cowboys, Deadline reported.

The film—titled Concrete Cowboys—is centered on the Fletcher Street Stables. Fletcher Street is a Black horsemanship community that has been in existence for over a century. It was cultivated as an outlet to help Black men and boys escape communities plagued by violence and crime and learn about the importance of discipline and responsibility. The film follows the journey of a teen who was sent to live with his father in North Philly. While adjusting to the new environment and bearing witness to the impact of gentrification and poverty, the teen discovers the community’s urban cowboy culture and explores how horse riding is used to escape the dire circumstances faced by those in the neighborhood.

Concrete Cowboys is loosely based on a book penned by author Greg Neri titled Ghetto Cowboy. Actors Caleb McLaughlin, Jharrel Jerome, Byron Bowers, and Lorraine Toussaint star alongside Elba in the film. The film is being produced by Elba’s production company Green Door Pictures, Tucker Tooley Entertainment, and Lee Daniels Entertainment. Ricky Staub will serve as the film’s director. “Idris had expressed a desire to be involved in projects uplifting to the African American community,” Staub told Philly Magin an interview. “Idris has a huge heart in wanting to uplift new voices and to make an impact on the community.”

As for the real-life “Concrete Cowboys,” they’re excited to see the story be transformed into a film. Ika Bradford says Fletcher Street Stables has forever impacted his life. “I had my time and share of doing this and doing that, all the bad things that ended me up in jail. Just being around the horses keep me calm,” he told ABC 6. “Just have something to do. Stay out of trouble. Take your mind out of things in the hood, they’re playing basketball in the hood, but there’s nothing like a horse stable, I’ll tell you that.”

The film is currently in production and there is no word on when it is slated to be released.

10. Nina Turner Annihilates Panelist On Racism In America

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Continue reading From April Ryan To Angela Rye: Black Pundits Who Slay On Cable News

From April Ryan To Angela Rye: Black Pundits Who Slay On Cable News

Cable news is a rough and tumble game of shade, wit and knowing your politics. That said, if anyone is going to share the screen with some of the most intelligent people on television, you better know what you are talking about. There are some folks who have laid down the law on television and now there are reports of an all-Black panelist show on CNN.
Last week, Page Six reported CNN is considering a show with CNN contributors April Ryan, Andrew Gillum, Angela Rye and Bakari Sellers. The buzz reportedly started after they all appeared on the network’s morning show, “New Day With Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.”
A source told Page Six, “It was the most excitement on that morning show since Chris Cuomo left as co-anchor. CNN is fast-tracking talks … to develop it into a stand-alone show. The early chatter is that it could start as a weekend show that would rival MSNBC’s programming with Joy Reid, the Rev. Al Sharpton and Kendis Gibson.”
All of that, combined with a tweet from Angela Rye on Tuesday morning, got the hashtag #SquadCNN as Twitter's top trending topic in a possible allusion to a name for the show.
https://twitter.com/angela_rye/status/1161238824653066241?s=12
Twitter has been sounding off with one user writing, "I enjoyed this. Enjoying the #squadcnn keep it up. Wait wait wait you almost let it out this morning @angela_rye and on the receiving end was @AprilDRyan but y’all quenched it really fast too. Enjoyed the show this morning. Cheers!!"
https://twitter.com/essien733/status/1161245630938923008?s=20
To be honest, CNN is a bit late. Black folks have been slaying cable news for years. Whether it is fact-checking on Trump, reminding people of the legacy of Barack Obama, or shutting down pure ignorance, they are the voices for many of us. It has been a pleasure to see them lay down the law with grace and class.
Most importantly, it is crucial that there are people who are doing the work to deliver the truth, especially in a time when the truth is easily dismissed by a president who functions very close to a dictator and demonizes the press. They are documenting history, holding people accountable and making sure the record is corrected in 2018, even in the face of blatant lies.
April Ryan, Joy-Ann Reid, Abby Phillip, Symone Sanders, Angela Rye, Yamiche Alcindor, Nina Turner, Keith Boykin, Bakari Sellers are the journalists, correspondents and commentators we need in 2019 and beyond.
See some of their greatest and most epic cable TV moments below: